There’s ample evidence in some cases. Van Gogh. Kurt Cobain. Ernest Hemmingway. But are these men the exception, or the rule?

Are you a tortured artist? Does your work reflect your inner pain? Is it therapy for you? What do you want people to know about your pain? Your art?

Does your work improve when you are depressed? Are you better able to get in touch with your creative self when you experience certain emotions?

Are mental illness and creativity related? Do you think mentally ill people see the world in a different way that allows them to be more artistic?

Is the concept of the tortured artist just a way to romanticize certain bad behaviors so we can excuse them? Or mental illness so we can be more comfortable with it?

Is the whole idea nothing more than a myth?

As a man and an artist, how does this stereotype affect you personally? Do you find people have preconceptions about you because you are an artist?

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